Solly the Kangaroo
Solana Playbook

DeFi Basics

DeFi stands for "Decentralized Finance." It means using apps on the blockchain to do things you'd normally do at a bank — like swapping currencies, earning interest, or borrowing — but without a middleman. Everything runs on code, and you stay in control of your money.

Swapping Tokens

Swapping is the most common thing people do in DeFi. It's like exchanging dollars for euros, but with crypto tokens. You pick what you have, pick what you want, and the swap happens in seconds.

Jupiter

The most popular swap tool on Solana. Jupiter finds you the best price across many different exchanges automatically — you just pick your tokens and click swap.

Visit jup.ag
Raydium

Another popular exchange on Solana. Raydium has its own liquidity pools and is great for finding newer tokens. It also lets you earn rewards by providing liquidity.

Visit raydium.io

What is a DEX?

DEX stands for "Decentralized Exchange." Unlike traditional exchanges (like Coinbase or Binance), a DEX lets you trade directly from your wallet. You don't need to create an account or hand over your tokens to someone else. Jupiter and Raydium are both DEXs.

How to swap on a DEX:

  1. Connect your wallet (like Phantom)
  2. Choose the token you want to swap from
  3. Choose the token you want to receive
  4. Enter the amount and review the price
  5. Click swap and confirm in your wallet

Bridging

Bridging means moving your tokens from one blockchain to another. For example, if you have ETH on Ethereum and want to use it on Solana, you'd use a bridge to transfer it over.

Popular bridges to Solana:

  • Portal (Wormhole) — supports many chains and tokens
  • Mayan Finance — fast cross-chain swaps
  • deBridge — another popular multi-chain option

Tip: Always double-check the destination address and start with a small test amount.

Lending & Borrowing

You can lend your tokens to others and earn interest, or borrow tokens by putting up collateral. It works like a savings account or a loan, but it's all handled automatically by apps on the blockchain.

Popular Lending Platforms
  • Marinade Finance — popular for SOL staking and lending
  • Kamino Finance — lending, borrowing, and liquidity vaults
  • marginfi — lending and borrowing with competitive rates

DeFi Safety Tips

  • 1.Start small — don't put in more than you can afford to lose
  • 2.Always double-check website URLs before connecting your wallet
  • 3.Use well-known apps with good track records
  • 4.Revoke approvals you no longer need (see our Security guide)